


Be Okay Until The End of The Moon

by FiveDollarMixtape



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Drowning, Homesickness, Kitnapping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-11-19 12:22:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveDollarMixtape/pseuds/FiveDollarMixtape
Summary: Kitnapped kits are treasured in these three Clans- they hold the natural strengths of their birth clans, and the trained ones of the Clans that took them.  The low populations only encourage the theft.  Covekit was born into ViewClan, but fell into the river and was rescued by a FogClan patrol.  As a warrior, she will have a choice- will she stay in FogClan, or rejoin ViewClan?[REWRITING]





	1. Chapter 1

**Allegiances**

**FOGCLAN**

**Leader:** **SKYSTAR-** A light tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.

 **Deputy:** **SHADEFEATHER-** A gray and black tabby she-cat with midnight blue eyes.

 **Medicine Cat:** **RAINFLIGHT-** A blue-gray tom with hazel eyes.

**Warriors:**

**LEAFLIGHT-** A she-cat with a light brown pelt and leaf green eyes.

 **RIDGEFALL-**  A dark brown tom with blue eyes.

_Apprentice- Iciclepaw_

**LAKEWHISKER-** A shiny, white pelted tom with light green eyes.

 **WOLFSPIRIT-** A brown and white tabby she-cat with orange eyes.

_Apprentice- Cliffpaw_

**THORNTHROAT-** A white tom with a gray throat and muzzle with amber eyes.

 **REDHEART-** A russet she-cat with a cream belly and green eyes.

 **STEMWING-** A pure white tom with cold, green eyes.

 **MOUSESPRING-** A ginger she-cat with hazel eyes.

**Apprentices:**

**ICICLEPAW-** A white she-cat with pool-blue eyes.

 **CLIFFPAW-** A dark brown tom with blue eyes.

**Queens:**

**DAPPLESKIP-** A calico she-cat with bright green eyes. Mother of Maplekit and Acornkit.

 **RAVENWATCHER-** A tortoiseshell and cream she-cat with copper eyes. (Personal note- will be mother of Brookkit, Heatherkit, and Pebblekit)

**Kits:**

**MAPLEKIT-** A calico she-kit with amber eyes.

 **ACORNKIT-** A calico tom with green eyes.

 **Elder-** **NIGHTBELLY-** A black she-cat with dark yellow eyes.

**VIEWCLAN**

**Leader:** **FALCONSTAR-** A dark brown and black tabby tom with blue eyes.

 **Deputy:** **RUNNINGFOOT-** A black she-cat with blue eyes.

 **Medicine Cat:** **STONEWHISPER-** A dark gray tom with a limp on his fore leg and scars mangling it.

_Apprentice- Thistlepaw_

**Warriors:**

**RYESONG-** An orange and ginger she-cat with dark blue eyes.

 **VOLDNIGHT-** A dark gray tom with hazel eyes.

_Apprentice- Mistpaw_

**RUSHRIVER-** A blue-gray tom with dark eyes.

_Apprentice- Shortpaw_

**WASPSTRIKE-** A ginger and black tabby she-cat.

 **SPRUCEJAW-** A white tom with brown paws.

 **FOXRISE-** A russet tom with a black tail tip.

 **BATCRY-** A black she-cat with dark brown paws, ears, and tail with amber eyes.

 **CHERRYHEART-** A rusty colored she-cat with blue eyes.

**Apprentices:**

**THISTLEPAW-** A dark brown, almost black tom with green eyes.

 **MISTPAW-** A dark gray she-cat with blue eyes.

 **SHORTPAW-** A ginger tom with golden eyes.

**Queens:**

**EVENINGWATER-** A blue-gray she-cat with a cream chest and green eyes. Mother of Vixenkit, Whitekit, and Covekit.

**Kits:**

**VIXENKIT-** A dark brown she-kit with cream paws and chest with light blue eyes.

 **WHITEKIT-** A white tom with green eyes.

 **COVEKIT-** A blue-gray and cream she-kit with dark blue eyes.

**Elders:**

**BRACKENFLIGHT-** A dark brown tom with one blue eye and one green eye.

 **SPIDEREYE-** A light and dark gray tabby she-cat with dark eyes.

**DUSTCLAN**

**Leader:** **PINESTAR-** A medium brown furred tom with yellow eyes.

 **Deputy:** **PEBBLETRAIL-** A gray she-cat with a long tail and midnight blue eyes.

 **Medicine Cat:** **SANDTAIL-** A pale ginger she-cat with hazel eyes.

**Warriors:**

**SCORPIONFANG-** A black tom with hazel eyes.

 **ADDERFUR-** A light brown she-cat with amber eyes.

 **BLAZEHEART-** A russet and cream she-cat with copper eyes.

 **HAWKCLAW-** A dark brown tom with bright amber eyes.

 **EAGLEWING-** A large, white tom with dark eyes.

_Apprentice- Willowpaw_

**DOECLOUD-** A brown and white she-cat with dark eyes.

_Apprentice- Patchpaw_

**SKUNKFANG-** A black she-cat with white paws, muzzle, chest, and a stripe down her back.

**Apprentices:**

**WILLOWPAW-** A calico she-cat with one green eye and one amber eye.

 **PATCHPAW-** A patched ginger tom with golden eyes.

**Queens:**

**ORANGESTRIPE-** A ginger she-cat with bright green eyes. Mother of Moonkit and Otterkit.

**Kits:**

**MOONKIT-** A pale ginger she-kit with pale blue eyes.

 **OTTERKIT-** A dark brown and black tabby tom with blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Kithood Chronicles for Be Okay Until The End of The Moon. I've started a pattern for my stories, if you haven't noticed. The update schedule is every Monday. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter One

A blue-gray and cream she-kit was laying on her back, watching the sky (that was too bright in her opinion). Only a few clouds passed by slowly. The warriors had said that it was better than the sandy fields of DuskClan, and much better than the constantly fog covered lands of FogClan, but she wasn't so sure. The fields of ViewClan sounded pretty boring to her.

"Covekit!" the kit turned her eyes to see two others. One was a pure white tom with green eyes, and the other was a dark brown she-kit with a cream chest and paws with dark blue eyes. They were standing in front of a ginger tom with golden eyes. "Shortpaw's gonna teach us some battle moves!"

"Really?" Covekit asked, rising to her paws. Shortpaw nodded.

"You guys should be careful," he meowed. "Warriors are going around stealing kits."

"That means we have to protect ourselves!" the white tom meowed, puffing out his chest. "Isn't that right, Vixenkit?" The brown and cream she-kit noded.

"DustClan and FogClan won't stand a chance against us!" she added. Shortpaw let out a purr. Covekit hesitated for a heartbeat before she padded over to the three cats.

"Okay, so," Shortpaw began, "ViewClan cats are fast, so a lot of our moves rely on speed," he explained. "If you were running fast enough, you could ram into a cat from DustClan, you could almost knock them over."

"What about FogClan?" Vixenkit asked, tilting her head. Shortpaw shook his own head in return.

"They'd see you coming from a fox-length away."

"That's not very far," Covekit meowed.

"It's a phrase," Whitekit murmured to her, "It's not literal." Covekit nodded in response.

"So what move are we learning?" Vixenkit urged.

"It's nothing hard, just a sweep." The three kits nodded. "Whitekit, want to be the example?" the younger tom nodded eagerly, taking a few steps closer. The apprentice didn't hesitate to flash out a paw, and Whitekit fell to the ground with a small 'thump'.

"That was awesome!" Vixenkit cheered.

"I wanna try!" Covekit added, her tail lashing back and forth excitedly.

"Let me slow it down first," Shortpaw purred as Whitekit got to his paws.

"Hey, Shortpaw!" The cats turned their heads to see a dark gray she-cat with blue eyes making her way towards the four cats. "Are you training kits without me?"

"Uh… no?" Shortpaw tried, almost shrinking in on himself. The she-cat stopped in front of the kits.

"Want to see how a _real_ ViewClan warrior fights?" she asked, a spark in her blue eyes. The kits nodded eagerly. "Watch carefully!" She launched herself at Shortpaw, making the two roll across the ground.

" _Mistpaw! Mistpaw! Mistpaw!"_ The she-kits cheered.

"C'mon, Shortpaw, you can beat her!" Whitekit yowled, his tail lashing back and forth with excitement.

The fight was full of fast jabs, quick and strategized pawsteps, and dodging. The two apprentices were speed demons, and Covekit was absolutely _certain_ that Mistpaw would win.

"Give the crowd what they want, Shortpaw!" Mistpaw meowed happily.

"Cats love an underdog story!" Shortpaw shot back.

"Go for a tackle, Shortpaw!" A new voice cut in.

"Leap on his back, Mistpaw!" Covekit glanced over to see two warriors that she recognized as the fighting cats mentors. The first cat who had spoken was a blue gray tom with dark eyes. The second was a dark gray tom with hazel eyes.

Covekit snapped her head back when she heard the sound of another 'thump'. Shortpaw had Mistpaw pinned to the ground. "And we're tied again! Thanks, Rushriver!"

"Anything for my apprentice," the warrior purred.

"Thanks for nothing, Volenight," Mistpaw meowed with no malice in her tone.

"You're welcome, you ungrateful apprentice," Volenight padded forward and shoved Shortpaw off of the she-cat.

"I think that's enough excitement for my kits for one day." The cats turned their heads to look at a blue-gray she-cat with a cream chest that was padding gracefully towards them.

"But _Eveningwater!"_ Whitekit complained. "We're three moons old, we don't need naps anymore!" Eveningwater shook her head firmly.

"Eveningwater, we're not tired," Covekit meowed. "We'll just bother you. Can't we go listen to an Elder's story, or something?" The queen thought for a heartbeat.

"Fine. But you'll come to the Nursery as soon as it's over."

"We will!" Vixenkit meowed. "We promise!" Eveningwater nodded, turning tail and padding away from her kits.

" _How_ are you three related to her, again?" Volenight asked. "She's the most strict cat in the Clan, and you three are well… you."

"What'd you mean?" Whitekit asked.

"Well," Rushriver began, "Whitekit, you're too hyperactive. Vixenkit, you're too sarcastic. I guess that Covekit is the closest, but you find loopholes in things and you have your own reasons for following the rules." The three littermates blinked up at the warrior.

"What were you saying about an Elder's story, Covekit?" they jumped out of their stupor and looked over at their mother.

"We're going!"


	3. Chapter Two

"As you know, each Clan has one leader and one deputy. We have this system because of our Founding Fathers: the cats who-"

"Isn't the cat who founded FogClan a she-cat?" Vixenkit inturrupted. The light and dark gray tabby in front of the kit let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"It's just what we call them, Vixenkit," she meowed.

"But she wouldn't be a father, she'd be a mother," Covekit meowed.

Whitekit nodded. "Shouldn't it be the Founding Parents?" The odd eyed, dark brown tom let out an amused purr.

"I like them, Spidereye," he meowed. "They'll keep you on your toes."

"Go eat a mouse tail, Brackenflight," the old she-cat shot back. "Would you like to tell a story? I've tried three times!"

"I know, it was great to watch." Spidereye's eyes narrowed at the tom as he adjusted himself. "Alright, alright," he turned his eyes to the kits. "Would you like to hear about The View?"

"What's The View?" Whitekit asked.

"I'll tell you about it,  _if_  you promise not to interrupt." The three kits nodded. Spidereye let out a groan and let her head drop onto her paws.

"You kits are going to be the death of me," she complained.

"Thank you," Vixenkit meowed with a dip of her head.

"Our story begins with our first leader. As you know, all three of the Founding  _Parents_  had very different names from before they went to the Moon Cave, and they had found their territories before they had become Clan leaders. Those names have been lost to time, so let's call them View, Fog, and Dust.

"Each territory has a feature in them that makes our survival special. Our speed helps us catch our prey in the fields and overwhelm our enemies. ViewClan cats are the fastest cats that have ever lived: we are descendants of the cheetah themselves. FogClan's eyesight saves them from getting lost in their home, and their agility gives them quick saves from their usually slippery territory. DustClan cats paws grip onto their sandy territory while the rest of us slip and slide, and they thrive in hot climates."

Spidereye picked up the story. "DustClan is named for the dust that is constantly blown around their territory. FogClan is named for their fog, and we are named for The View.

"The View was found when View led a patrol to explore his territory. They found wheat and heather, repeated over and over again. The cats noted that their territory could easily get lost in, and they could use that in battle, but View saw a landmark in the distance. A large rock was reaching for the sky, demanding their ancestor's attention. View led the way towards the large rock, and leapt his way to the top."

Brackenflight took over again. "From here, View and his followers could see all of the cat's territories, and the Hill Pool. To his left, was the dusty fields of Dust's lands, and Fog's lands was on his right. All of his followers were in awe. View knew that the rock could be used as the perfect lookout spot.

"The cats had yet to find a camp, and View and his followers slept at the boulder that night. In View's dreams, a cat came to him. They told him that the boulder was created for his group- his  _Clan_ , that would last for generations. As long as the boulder was standing, his Clan would stand along with it."

"They also told him to go to the Moon Cave, along with Dust and Fog, and to gain his nine lives to become to leader of his Clan," Spidereye meowed. "When View _star_  returned, he made his way to the top of the boulder. He told his cats that they were now called ViewClan, and that the boulder was now called The View."

"And that," Brackenflight meowed, "Is the story of The View. Now, I think your mother is waiting for you."

Vixenkit let out a sigh. "Aw," she meowed, rising to her paws.

Spidereye rolled her eyes. "You  _can_  come back whenever you want to," she meowed. "You three, no matter how irritating you can be, are the most interesting kits we've had in awhile."

* * *

Covekit laid down next to her mother and littermates, thinking about the story about The View. She hadn't been as interested in it as her littermates had been, but she listened to the story still. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that maybe she'd like The View better when she actually saw it.

It didn't feel like long before she was shaken awake by a paw. She opened bleary eyes to see both of her littermates standing over her. "Let's sneak out of camp," Whitekit whispered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally DIDN'T forget to update this until just past Midnight on Tuesday, nope.
> 
> In other news, I either a- lost my glasses, or b- accidentally threw them away. We'll just have to find out. My screen is blurry.
> 
> Happy Fourth of July, my fellow Americans! Can't wait until Trump kills us all!


	4. Chapter Three

Whitekit and Vixenkit had dragged her out of the Nursery before she could even open her mouth to argue, shoving her behind the structure. "Okay, now you can yell at us," Vixenkit meowed.

"Are you two  _kidding_  me?!" Covekit hissed. "Warriors are stealing kits and you want to sneak out of camp?"

"We should be fine as long as we stay in our territory," Whitekit argued.

"And don't you want to see the territory?" Vixenkit meowed. "Being stuck in camp all day is boring."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"So you agree!" Whitekit meowed.

"I didn't-"

"Let's go!" Her littermates herded her out from behind the Nursery and into the dirtplace, leading and pushing her through the underground tunnel there. It seemed to last forever, but the kits emerged from the tunnel and looked around.

All that Covekit could see was wheat and heather. It surrounded her on all sides, and criss crossed over her head. It cast intricate shadows over the ground and on the kits pelts. Whitekit and Vixenkit seemed in awe of their surroundings, but Covekit didn't really feel anything. She padded forward.  _I'm out here already,_ she thought.  _Maybe The View will be cool._

Her dark blue eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, while she could hear her two littermates acting a bit lost behind her. The wheat and heather hid them from anything that was coming their way, but she still felt a bit uneasy. "How can you see where you're going, Covekit?" Whitekit asked.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder at her littermates. "You can't?" she asked.

"Well, we can," Vixenkit meowed, "But not really well."

She shrugged. "I dunno, maybe you just have to wait a bit longer?"

"Then you're our navigator for now." Covekit nodded, looking back in front of her and padding forward. The kits traveled forwards in silence. The blue-gray and cream she-cat turned her eyes to the nearly full moon for a heartbeat.

"Hey…" Whitekit spoke up, "Do either of you two know how to get back to camp?" Silence.

"Brackenflight did say it was easy to get lost," Covekit meowed.

"This is eventful," Vixenkit mewed.

"And I can't say that I'm having a good time," Covekit added flatly.

"Don't you like the territory?" Vixenkit asked, padding a bit faster to catch up with her littermate. The other she-kit shrugged.

"It's a little confining," she complained. Whitekit scoffed.

"It's perfect!" he meowed. He raced forward, not caring about his sight troubles at the moment. Vixenkit took off after him with Covekit at her heels. The three kits were speeding through the territory, doing zig zags, loops, whatever they wanted to do. Peals of laughter filled the silence of the night that was only illuminated by the moon. They were panting, and collapsed on top of each other for a break, happily confiding to each other that they were lost.

"Better?" Vixenkit asked, turning over to look at Covekit better.

"A… a bit," Covekit panted.

Whitekit shrugged lazily. "Better than… nothing."

The blue-gray and cream she-kit turned her eyes to the sky, but not before they were caught by something that was sticking out of the ground like it was reaching for Silverpelt, begging for StarClan's attention. "Is that what I think it is?" Covekit asked, her breath regained.

Whitekit turned his head, following Covekit's gaze. "Uh…" Vixenkit raised her head.

"Yeah, it is!" she meowed, rising to her paws and making her way forward. "Follow me!" Covekit and Whitekit shared a look before following after their littermate. The closer to the boulder they got, the larger and more imposing it was. Vixenkit stopped at the bottom of the rock, craning her neck to see to the top. "It's The View!"

"I was right!" Covekit cheered. Whitekit stuck his tongue out at her before he bunched his muscles, leaping, but he couldn't reach the first ledge and fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Covekit asked, leaning over her littermate.

"I'm fine," he grunted out. "Just in pain is all."

"Walk it off," Vixenkit encouraged. Covekit took a few pawsteps forwards, crouching low, her tail thrashing back and forth.

"You're gonna fall," Whitekit meowed.

"I wanna try," Covekit mewed, leaping for the first ledge. Her paws just barely caught on it, and she pulled herself up with a grunt. She leapt to the next ledge, which was closer than the first one. She looked down at the ground to see Vixenkit's and Whitekit's wide eyes. "Come on, I want to see the territories!" Covekit leapt for the next ledge. One of her paws caught it: she put her other forepaw on it and pulled herself up. Finally, she leapt to the top, panting.

The sight took her breath away. It was just like she had heard in the story: she could easily imagine View and some of his followers on the top of The View, watching as water rippled off the pool the cats gathered around in the center their territories, that just so happened to be on a hill. To her left was DustClan: wind blew the sand up from the ground and into the air, making it look like it was doing a complicated dance that no living thing could ever hope to recreate. To her right, was FogClan: lush green grass was glittering with dew, along with spread out dark colored trees that glittered in the moonlight. A river separated ViewClan and FogClan territory, and every territory was tinted silver in the moonlight.

Covekit didn't hear Vixenkit appear next to her on the rock, and a few heartbeats later, Whitekit joined them. "Whoa," Vixenkit meowed. "Look at ViewClan." Covekit looked over her shoulder. Each individual strand of heather, wheat, and horsetail was silver. The wind made the strands move like waves, and she could see the small hills in their land.

"This is amazing," Whitekit meowed. Covekit nodded in agreement, too in awe to speak. The kits lost track of time, until eventually and reluctantly, the kits made their way off of The View and onto the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEFINITELY DIDN'T FORGET NO NOPE NOOPPPEEEE


	5. Chapter Four

Covekit's ears perked at a strange, new sound. Something was rushing past, going by with a soothing sort of sound.

"Do you guys hear that?" she asked. The other two kits perked their ears, then nodded their heads. "Let's check it out." They nodded again. They were lost anyway, what was the harm? They'd all silently agreed that some warriors would find them at some point.

Covekit led the way towards the sound. The wheat and heather stopped abruptly, and they were met with a river. Water passed by with a strong current, as well as a new scent. Vixenkit scrunched up her nose.

"What's that  _stench?"_  she asked.

Covekit sniffed. "It's not that bad," she meowed.

"It's pretty bad," Whitekit put in.

"I bet DustClan is worse," Covekit took a step forward, much to her littermates dismay, but she didn't bother listening to their complaints. This river, she was actually interested in. The View was amazing, but she had seen how in awe her littermates were of the territory itself. That was how she felt about the river in front of her. She stopped at the edge and gave a tail wave to her littermates as she crouched down, looking at her shaky reflection in the water.

"It is  _not_  alright, Covekit!" Vixenkit hissed.

"You're on FogClan territory!" Whitekit added.

"When kitnapping is a very common thing!"

"And it was fine on our territory?" Covekit asked, still looking on the water.

" _Yes!"_  they both chorused.

Covekit sighed. "I'm right next to the border, I'm  _fi-_ " she felt the soft ground from under her fall, and she slipped into the strong current. She rolled over in the water, her belly facing Silverpelt, not realising what had happened for a few heartbeats and just enjoying the feeling of cool water in her fur and watching the river bank go by.

Then, she just had to think:  _How do I breathe under here?_  She thrashed around, trying to get to air. Her head broke the surface. "He-" she began to yowl, but was cut off as she was taken under again. She turned on her back, trying to get her muzzle above the water as her lungs screamed for air. When she broke the surface again, she took a deep breath, but it ended with water filling her lungs and coughs shaking her body as she got dragged under the surface again. She watched as bubbles left her mouth and rose to the surface.

 _I'm going to die._  She thought.  _I'll never be an apprentice, I'll never be a warrior, I'll never see anyone from ViewClan again, I'm going to StarClan._

She did another flip in the water, her lungs still screaming. Her legs kicked weakly, but there was no chance that she was being saved now, she knew.

Or… not. She felt teeth dig into her scruff and her body lift out of the water, but the water wasn't magically relieved from her lungs. She started to panic, but she was too tired to move. Her body felt heavy with the water clinging to her fur. She felt herself get set on the ground, and paws press at her stomach. Water spilled out of her mouth and onto soft grass, and she took deep lungfuls of air- so deep that she started coughing.

"The poor kit," a voice meowed. "How scared do you think she was?"

"Very?" another voice suggested. "She's a ViewClan kit who had probably never even seen water before now."

"Well, I guess that'll change," the first voice meowed. "Stemwing, let's take her to see Rainflight."

She heard a hum above her as she got picked up by her scruff again. The cat padded forward, making Covekit thud against their chest.

"She's so young, Wolfspirit," the second voice meowed.

"Yeah," The first voice, Wolfspirit, agreed. "She's, what, two or three moons? And to think, she'll…" Covekit stopped listening as she started shivering, the water in her fur and the cool air chilling her.

"We need to hurry up," the cat holding her, Stemwing, meowed around her scruff, quickening his pace to a run. Covekit swung back and forth in his jaws. She was convinced that her fur was going to freeze. She saw light in front of her closed eyelids. She lost track of the time before the cats slowed down, the scents of cats drenched in FogClan scent filling her nose. Stemwing brought her into a place that had no light, and was filled with the smell of herbs, then set her down gently.

"Rainflight?" Wolfspirit called. She heard a cat pad towards the group from farther in the den. The cats that had brought Covekit to the FogClan camp didn't need to speak before Rainflight set to work. She felt her fur being licked the wrong way. She would have complained in she had the energy to. After a few heartbeats, she started feeling warm.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" the tom asked her between licks. Covekit let out a soft noise of complaint before she opened her dark blue eyes.

Rainflight was a blue-gray tom with kind, hazel eyes. Stemwing was a pure white tom with cold, green eyes. He sort of reminded Covekit of a grown-up version of Whitekit. Wolfspirit was a brown and white tabby she-cat with orange eyes, and the last cat was a dark brown tom with blue eyes.

Rainflight finished licking her fur the wrong way, and sat back to look down at her. "What's your name?"

"C-Covekit," she murmured.

"Covekit's a nice name," the Medicine Cat meowed. "How old are you, Covekit?"

"Three moons."

Rainflight nodded, before gesturing to the other cats. "These are Stemwing, Wolfspirit, and Cliffpaw." Covekit looked cats again. "I'll get you some poppyseeds, so that you can sleep a bit, before you meet the rest of the Clan."

 _I've been kitnapped,_  Covekit finally thought. She looked down at the ground she was on. The soil was soft, much softer than the ground from ViewClan. She felt a soft paw nudge her. She looked up at Wolfspirit.

"You should probably move to a nest," she meowed. "It's a lot softer than the ground." She nodded numbly before she stood on shaky legs, then padded over to a soft-looking nest and collapsed. Rainflight set a poppyseed in front of her.

"Just lap that up, and you'll be asleep in no time." Covekit listened to her new Medicine Cat and set her head on her paws, closing her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyy it's on time this time


	6. Chapter Five

" _Where's Covekit?" Eveningwater asked as Whitekit and Vixenkit padded into camp, a patrol next to them. Her fur was standing in all directions, her eyes were tired, and the whole of ViewClan had never seen her like this. A dark brown and black tabby tom with blue eyes was sitting at her side, his eyes narrowed at the kits._

" _She- she…" Vixenkit couldn't speak. Whitekit swallowed as the rest of the Clan came out of their dens, speaking softly to each other. Shortpaw and Mistpaw both had worried looks on their faces, and Spidereye and Brakenflight both looked at each other in concern._

" _She didn't want to sneak out of camp, but we convinced her into it," Whitekit began. "We… we got lost pretty quick, but we found The View. Covekit actually climbed it, and…"_

" _And we followed her," Vixenkit picked up the story, "but when we came down, she heard the river and wanted to go see it, so we told her that she could." Murmuring broke out from the Clan, but the tom next to Eveningwater raised his tail for silence._

" _She went onto FogClan territory," Whitekit continued, "Apparently she thought the river was really cool, and we told her to come back to ViewClan territory, but… but…"_

" _But the ground fell out from under her and she fell into the river!" Vixenkit yowled out, her eyes closed and claws digging into the soft earth below her._

" _No…" Eveningwater meowed after a few heartbeats of silence, her eyes wide. "No, she can't be gone…"_

" _But she…" Shortpaw trailed off._

" _She's just a kit!" Mistpaw finished for him._

" _We don't even have a body," Spidereye whispered to Brackenflight. The odd eyed tom shook his head._

" _We're sorry, we just wanted to have fun," Whitekit murmured to his paws. The tom next to the grieving queen lifted his tail for silence._

" _We'll do what we always do, hold a vigil and remember that Covekit is in StarClan now," the ViewClan leader, Falconstar, decided._

* * *

Covekit opened her eyes in an unfamiliar den. She was about to panic, before she remembered what had happened to her before she went to sleep. Now, she just had a sad dream to sit and think about.

 _They think I'm dead,_  she thought.

Rainflight poked his head around the corner of the den. "Oh, you're awake!" he meowed. "I have to go get Skystar, and she'll have a ceremony for you. Then you can meet your foster family," the tom meowed. "Are you okay with being alone?" Covekit nodded. The Medicine Cat flicked his tail at her before he left the den.

The she-kit looked down at her paws. Her blue-gray and cream fur looked messy and strange to her. All the FogClan warriors she had seen so far had sleek, shiny fur, while her's was dull. "...her name?" she snapped her head up to see a light tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes murmuring to Rainflight.

"Covekit," the tom responded. The tortoiseshell looked over at the kit, padding over to the nest. Covekit scrambled to sit up, looking up at the imposing-looking she-cat.

The she-cat let out a purr. "Hello, Covekit. I'm Skystar, it's nice to meet you." Covekit tilted her head in confusion.  _Falconstar didn't act like this, does Pinestar act like this too?_  "Would you mind coming with me?" The she-kit got to her paws and stepped out of the nest, following the leader as she padded out of the Medicine Den. Cats were already out in the clearing. Covekit's eyes went everywhere as she kept following Skystar, the leader's tail flicking behind her. Skystar stopped in a center of the clearing of cats, gesturing for Covekit to sit in front of her. The she-kit complied to her new leader.

"The other cats believe that FogClan gets our name from the fog of our territory, but we get our name from the water. The push and pull, the changing current, the way that it will slowly change the earth, and, of course, the way it makes fog all represents a FogClan cat," Skystar meowed, her eyes on Covekit. "You have felt the power of the water, and soon, you will be able to tame it. The water is our family, our bloodline, and it makes us who we are." The tortie purred to herself. "Usually, this is where we'd put you in water for the first time, but you've taken care of that for us," more purrs rose from the crowd.

"We welcome you as a member of FogClan. To Covekit!" Skystar yowled.

"Covekit! Covekit!" The Clan cheered. A few cats padded up to her. One was a calico queen, with two calico kits (one tom, one she-kit) in tow. Another queen was next to the calico, a tortoiseshell and cream she-cat with copper eyes and a belly heavy with kits.

"Hello, Covekit," the calico queen meowed. "I'm Dappleskip, and these are Maplekit," she gestured to the she-kit, "and Acornkit," to the tom. "Since these two are the same age as you, I'll be taking care of you for the next three moons."

Covekit tilted her head. "Toms can be calico?"

The tortie and cream queen nodded. "It's rare, according to Rainflight, but it happens. My name's Ravenwatcher." Covekit nodded. Maplekit stepped forward and sniffed her.

"You smell weird," she complained.

"She smells like ViewClan," Dappleskip corrected. "And we need to fix her fur," she put in, moving in to groom her fur back into place.

"How's your fur all shiny?" Covekit asked, tilting her head.

"Fish," Acornkit told her. She nodded, but felt a bit disgusted. Dappleskip quickly finished putting her fur in order, and sat back to look at her work.

"Maplekit, Acornkit, can you show Covekit around camp?" the queen asked. Acornkit nodded happily, while Maplekit just rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she muttered. The two calicos padded forward. Acornkit stopped next to her.

"She's not usually like this," he told her.

"She just doesn't like me," she meowed. The tom hesitated before he nodded, then padded forward. Covekit followed at his heels.  _I want to see Whitekit and Vixenkit,_  she thought, as the two headed towards Cliffpaw and another apprentice. She was a white she-cat with pool-blue eyes.

"These," Acornkit introduced as they padded by, Cliffpaw giving a smile to them and the she-cat giving them a nod, "are Iciclepaw and-"

"Cliffpaw," Covekit cut in. "Stemwing got me out of the river, but him and Wolfspirit were there, too."

"Well, over there-" he gestured with their tail to a den made up of something that was weaved together, "is their den."

Covekit tilted her head. "What're the dens made of?" she asked, looking around at all the structure. Maplekit looked at her like she was an idiot, her amber eyes narrowed.

"Reeds, for when the river floods," she meowed. Covekit perked her ears, and sure enough, it sounded like the river was just outside of the camp. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable. "Don't you know that?" Maplekit asked.

Covekit shook her head. "ViewClan dens are made up of tunnels, and we cut them off from the rest of the system."

"That's weird," the calico she-kit meowed.

"Reeds are weird," Covekit shot back.

"Okay!" Acornkit cut in, drawing out the word. "Over there," he gestured to the den to the left of the apprentice's den, "is the warriors den. Next to that, well, you already know that's the Medicine Den, and the Leader's den is right next to the entrance, same with the Nursery and the Elder's den."

"I want to show her the river!" Maplekit meowed. Covekit stiffened, fear flooding her as she remembered her struggle to breathe in said river. Her new foster sister's eyes seemed to widen with interest at her response.

"Don't worry, the current is a lot weaker here," Acornkit meowed. "But Dappleskip told us to be careful around it with you, and that we probably shouldn't go there yet until you learn how to swim."

"Swim?" Covekit squeaked.

"You don't have to worry about it now!" Acornkit told her quickly. "For now, do you want to meet Nightbelly? She's the only Elder we have at the moment."

Covekit took a deep breath, nodding. "Sure," she meowed.


	7. Chapter Six

"All three of the Clan's original leaders, our Founding Fathers-"

"Parents," Covekit corrected. All three cats looked at her, the black pelted Elder tilting her head in confusion. "FogClan's first leader was a she-cat, so technically, it would be Founding Parents."

"That sounds like you've said it before, Covekit." The kit nodded.

"Me and my littermates came up with it," she meowed. Nightbelly nodded in response.

"Can you tell us the story now?" Maplekit asked. The Elder nodded again.

"Our Founding  _Parents-_ " she purred the last word in amusement as Maplekit rolled her eyes again. "Named our Clans for something. FogClan was named for the water that made the fog, DustClan was named for the wind that stirs the sand on their territory, and ViewClan for a certain rock that they named…" Nightbelly looked at Covekit for an answer, a smile on her face.

"The View," Covekit meowed.

Maplekit scoffed. "It can't be  _that_  impressive."

Acornkit looked sheepish. "I hate to say it, but she's right."

"I saw it when we snuck out," Covekit began. "It was reaching up to Silverpelt, begging for StarClan's attention, and when we got to the top, I could see… everything." The two kits were silent.

"I believe that you got that first part from Spidereye and Brackenflight," Nightbelly purred.

"But that's what it was like!" Covekit argued.

"As for if you could see everything, ViewClan only let cats from outside of Clans see what The View's like if you do something for them," the elder explained.

"What's so special about it?" Acornkit asked.

"It's where View was told to go to the Moon Cave and earn his nine lives, and to start a Clan," Covekit meowed.

"FogClan story, please?" Maplekit asked.

"Our first leader's names have been lost to time, but let's just call them Fog, Dust, and View. When Fog first laid eyes on this territory, she knew that there was something special about it. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it had to be great. The second day that her and her followers were here was when they saw it: the fog. It was rolling off of the river and from the west, covering the land in a white smoke that only her cats could see through.

"They saw it as a beautiful decoration while Dust, View, and their followers saw it as a curse for them. It covered Fog's cats, made them the perfect warriors. They saw it as a gift from their ancestors, and sure enough, a cat came to Fog in a dream. They told her to go to the Moon Cave, to get her nine lives, and to lead a clan. When she came back, with the new name Fogstar, she yowled to her followers, to Silverpelt, to any cat that would listen, that they were FogClan and they were a family."

The three kits sat in silence for a heartbeat. "So, Covekit, which story do you like better?" Maplekit asked, cheekiness filling her voice.

"I think the FogClan story is more interesting, but Spidereye and Brackenflight told ou-" she cut herself off, "the ViewClan story better."

"That's cause there's two of them!" Acornkit defended. Covekit's stomach grumbled, and she felt her ears heat up in embarrassment. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat," the calico tom added. "It's your first fish!"

"Choose it well," Nightbelly encouraged.

"Thanks for the story, Nightbelly," Covekit meowed as her foster littermates stood and bounded out of the den. She followed after them with a flick of her tail, almost tripping over the reed weavings at the bottom of the entrance. The two other kits were already at the fresh-kill pile, nosing through it. Covekit bounded over to them.

" _What_  are you doing?" the three kits looked up at Iciclepaw.

"It's Covekit's first fish," Maplekit explained. "It has to be a good one."

"Choose a salmon," she meowed.

"But there's carp!" Acornkit mewed.

"Minnow!" Maplekit argued.

"How about you let Covekit choose?" a new voice, who Covekit recognized as Dappleskip, meowed. The blue-gray and cream she-kit looked up at her foster mother.

"I don't know anything about fish," Covekit argued.

"Salmon is the best," Iciclepaw meowed, licking a paw as she looked down at the kit. "It melts in your mouth."

"But she's used to stuff like mice and rabbit, so carp is the logical step," Acornkit meowed.

"Minnow, cause… cause minnow," Maplekit mewed.

"I wanna try salmon, I've never had something that melts in your mouth," Covekit meowed. Iciclepaw smiled.

"Good choice!" she cheered, picking up a fish and setting it in front of her. Covekit sniffed the slippery, dead animal, her nose scrunching up at the scent. Maplekit snorted at her reaction.

"I don't think smelling it will help if you're not used to fish," Dappleskip meowed. "It's just like normal meat."

 _Just like rabbit, just like rabbit, just like rabbit…_  she repeated the mantra in her mind, holding her breath as she took a bite of the fish. She chewed a few times on it, flavor exploding in her mouth. Her face relaxed as she looked down at the fish. She gulped down a few more bites.

Iciclepaw cheered again. "She likes it! She likes it!"

"Wait until you try minnow," Maplekit meowed, sticking her nose in the air.

" _Carp."_  Acornkit meowed again. "Now scoot over, Covekit, and let me have some." The bicolor she-kit listened to the calico tom, and they both made quick work of the salmon. Maplekit had picked out a minnow for herself, and quickly ate the small fish.

"Your fur feels weird on mine," Acornkit meowed as the three kits laid down next to each other.

"Fish," Covekit answered.

That night, when she padded into the FogClan Nursery on Acornkit's and Maplekit's heels, she thought about ViewClan. She felt the urge to go back home, to see her littermates and Eveningwater again, to play with Shortpaw and Mistpaw. She remembered what it was like to be tossed around in the river, and the urge to breathe when she couldn't get to air and stiffened at the thought. And so, she decided to stay where she was for the time being.


	8. Chapter Seven

_She couldn't breathe. Her world was tinted a dark blue. She turned around in the water, twisting and turning, her lungs screaming for air._

Covekit woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily. She looked over at her foster siblings, relieved that she didn't wake them up this time. During her first nightmare, she had kicked Maplekit in her sleep, and that had only made their rocky relationship worse. Covekit stood up and stretched, padding out of the Nursery. She took a heartbeat to look down at her pelt.

Before, it was full of fluffy kit fur. Now, it was much more sleek. Not as sleek as the warriors or apprentices, but it was almost as sleek as Acornkit's and Maplekit's. She turned her eyes to Silverpelt, and sat in companionable silence before another cat, a warrior padded up to her. She turned her head to see a russet she-cat with a cream belly and green eyes. One thing that she had noticed that was a huge difference between FogClan and ViewClan was that all the warriors cared about the kits. What they were doing, how they felt about something, they cared about them.

"Another nightmare?" the she-cat asked, sitting next to Covekit, who nodded in response.

"Yeah."

The warrior shook her head. "I can't imagine what drowning is like: I love the river too much to be afraid of it. But, hey," she nudged Covekit's shoulder gently, "once you learn to swim, you won't have anything to be afraid of! StarClan, you'll love the water as much as I do!"

Covekit only stiffened a bit at the mention of swimming. "You really think so, Redheart?" the warrior nodded.

"The place where you start swimming, even on the worst days, barley has a current," Redheart meowed. She blinked. "I… should probably go back on watch, but try to get some sleep, okay?" Covekit nodded.

"Thanks," she meowed.

"No problem!" Redheart mewed as she padded back to the entrance of camp. Covekit slinked back into the Nursery, curling up next to her foster family.

It only felt like a few heartbeats before a paw gently shook her awake. She let out a whine of complaint before she snapped open her dark blue eyes, only to be met by green ones. "Covekit, you need to see outside!" Acornkit meowed.

"Wha?" Covekit asked, lifting up her head.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Acornkit encouraged, shoving her harsher with his paws. Covekit let out a sigh, getting to her paws.

"Alright, I'm up," she meowed. Her foster littermate bounded towards the entrance of the Nursery, and Covekit followed after him slower. One thing that she had learned during her stay in FogClan was that she could make enough noise to catch StarClan's attention, and Dappleskip would only turn over. Ravenwatcher, on the other paw, had a type of thing where she could raise her head, eyes open and all, give them a short telling off, all while still being asleep.

When Covekit stepped into the clearing that was camp, her jaw dropped. It was covered in a thick, white smoke that she remembered Nightbelly describing fog as. "Is this…"

"Yup," Maplekit meowed, who was already in camp. Her fur blended in, but Covekit could see a bit of a dark shape where she was.

"There's a lot of it!" Acornkit meowed. "It's just for you, too!" the tom nudged her as Maplekit let out a scoff. Covekit crouched, flicking her tail to the side before she leapt up into the sky. For a heartbeat, her head was above the fog, watching as it flowed past, before she fell back down onto the ground and landed on four paws.

"This stuff is great!" Covekit meowed. "Even though I can't see really well,"

"It takes some adjusting," Acornkit told her. "For now…" the tom leapt at her, starting a playfight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allow me to list three of the wierd things that happened at work yesterday.
> 
> 1- We made a hole in the ground
> 
> 2- After we were told not to step in the hole, the person who made it accidentally stepped in the hole
> 
> 3- Dog


	9. Chapter Eight

The fog had died down by the end of the day, and was now just a thin blanket covering the ground. While the rest of the Clan was asleep, Covekit… couldn't. She had been at FogClan for a quarter moon, and finally, homesickness started to kick in. She was laying behind the Nursery, hiding from the rest of the Clan while she curled in on herself.

"What are you doing back here?" she almost jumped at the voice. She looked up to see Maplekit standing in front of her.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Covekit asked.

"You keep the nest warmer, now answer my question," Maplekit meowed.

Covekit hesitated for a second. "I miss home."

"You  _are_  home," the calico sounded exasperated.

"ViewClan," the bicolor she-kit corrected. "I miss ViewClan."

Maplekit's hackles rose. "But we  _saved_  you! We're giving you family!"

"And I won't be able to see my littermates until I become an apprentice, and Eveningwater is probably a mess, the whole Clan thinks I'm dead, and Whitekit and Vixenkit probably blame themselves for it." Maplekit's eyes widened a bit in comprehension. "And Shortpaw and Mistpaw are probably trying to make them feel better, and I don't even know if it's working, and Spidereye and Brackenflight are trying to comfort them, too, and it's all for nothing because I'm not even dead and they'll try to get me to rejoin ViewClan but I can't."

"Why would your littermates blame themselves?" Maplekit asked.

"I didn't want to sneak out of camp, but they convinced me, and then I went over to the river, and they tried to get me to go back over to ViewClan territory, but…"

"You fell in the river." Covekit nodded. "Well, deal with it." The other she-kit looked up at her foster littermate. "Yeah, you heard me, deal with it. The way I see it, you can either go through your whole life here feeling sorry for yourself, or you can deal with it and move on."

Covekit blinked, before she broke into peals of laughter. She could see Maplekit's fur rising in agitation, before she stopped, taking deep breaths. The calico kit narrowed her amber eyes. "You know, there's a sort of… gruesome story that FogClan has, but we tell it anyway. It's about the leader after Fogstar, a tom named Yarrowstar, who had returned from a well-planned strategy, victorious on his part, to see the other half of his Clan dead, their blood staining the ground.

"Of course, the Clan spent the night mourning for them, but in the morning, after all the bodies were cleared, Yarrowstar spoke to his Clan. His words have been passed down from FogClan cat to FogClan cat for generations, as our mantra, our way of life. He said that we had to decide to be fine until the end of the moon. We would make ourselves smile because we're alive and that's our job. And then we do it again the next moon."

Covekit got to her paws after a heartbeat, the words repeating in her head.  _Decide to be fine until the end of the moon… I can do that._  "Thanks, Maplekit."

"Yeah, yeah, now come inside so I can sleep," the calico muttered and turned around, padding into the Nursery. Covekit followed at her heels.

"Did you copy the story from how Nightbelly told you?"

"Shut up."

* * *

Today was the day that Dappleskip had decided to teach Covekit how to swim, and she was terrified. Ravenwatcher had come to watch, and her paws were stuck to the ground as she stared at the water in front of her. Redheart was right: the area next to camp had no current, but it still didn't help her nerves. Her nightmare from last night was still fresh in her mind, and that wasn't helping at all.

"Calm down," Dappleskip meowed. "Swimming is just like running. You can run, right?"

"Y-y-yeah," she stuttered.

"Now you just have to do that in the water. Maplekit, Acornkit, you go in first." The two calicos waded into the water until it lapped at their chests. "Can you do what they did, Covekit?" The blue-gray and cream she-cat took a few steps forwards until she was at the water's edge, and she took a deep breath before she set a paw into the chilly water.

"C'mon, you can do it!" Acornkit encouraged. "The river can't hurt you!" Covekit shot the tom a glare, which made him shrink a bit away from her.

"Are you going to let  _water_  beat you?" Maplekit asked, swishing her tail back and forth in the water.

"N-no, of c-c-c-course n-n-not," Covekit stuttered, taking another pawstep. Then another, then another. Soon enough, her belly fur was brushing the water's surface. Dappleskip padded into the water next to her.

"Hey, Covekit's learning to swim!" she heard a voice yowl from camp. She recognized the voice as Lakewhisker.

"Wait, really?" Another warrior called, one who she recognized as Mousespring.

"I knew it was going to happen soon!" Skystar meowed happily.

"C'mon, let's go watch, Cliffpaw!" Wolfspirit meowed.

"Wait for me!" Rainflight cut in.

"It's not that much farther," Dappleskip encouraged. "Just a few more steps." Covekit nodded, still shaking as she took another step forward, then another. With one more, she was standing next to Maplekit and Acornkit.

"Now this part is a bit harder," Dappleskip meowed. "You kick off from the river bed and then you start running in the water. Hold your chin up high, and you'll naturally float above the water's surface." Covekit looked at the ripples that her shaking was causing. She took another deep breath. Dappleskip gave her a comforting lick. "You can do this," she meowed. Covekit nodded.

"Swim! Swim! Swim!" The cats from the riverbed were chanting.

She bunched her muscles, and kicked off from the riverbed, running in the water. She sank a bit, making her panic and hold her head as high as it could go, but she did well other than that.

Maplekit swam out to meet her. "Move your legs slower, minnowbrain, this isn't a race," she meowed, swimming past her.

"Swimming depends on the currents, not how fast your legs are moving," Ravenwatcher put in. Covekit slowed her legs down, and she slid through the water. She wasn't as fast as Maplekit and Acornkit (who had started swimming next to Covekit), but she was getting there. Water was streaming through her fur, and with more cats in the water with her, she was feeling more comfortable. The cats on the riverbed let out a collective cheer of happiness.

"If you want to go under, you just have to lower your head," Acornkit meowed. "Like this!" he lowered his head below the water, and Covekit could see out of the corner of her eye as the calico tom made an arc under her before he surfaced. Maplekit took a deep breath before she went under as well, which Covekit guessed was encouragement for her to go under the surface, as well. She took one deep breath, let it out, another, then dove.

Around her, the world was tinted a light blue. Maplekit twisted around before she surfaced. Acornkit joined her under the water again, his legs kicking as gracefully as a kits legs could. He swam down to meet her. Covekit watched in awe as a fish passed by her, before she reminded herself of her need for air, and lifted her chin. She tried to copy Acornkit's graceful movements, but she wasn't sure if she could.

She gasped for air when she surfaced. "Great job, Covekit!" Dappleskip purred. Covekit looked over at her foster mother, a smile on her face.

She wasn't shaking any more.


	10. Chapter Nine

Another screech left the Nursery, the sound making Covekit flatten her ears against her head. Maplekit had a similar reaction, while Acornkit had squeezed himself in between the two she-kits for comfort.

Ravenwatcher had started kitting just past Sunhigh. It was almost Moonrise now. The now four moon old kits were waiting outside of their den, listening to the queen call out in pain as she created new lives.

"I bet there'll be two," Maplekit meowed.

"Three," Covekit argued.

"You're just saying that cause you're from a litter of three!" there was no venom in the calico she-kit's tone.

"You're from a litter of two!" the bicolor kit shot back.

"Four?" Acornkit squeaked, pressing himself against the ground as another pain-filled sound left the Nursery.

"I don't think I've ever seen a litter of four," Covekit meowed. "I've heard about them, though. Usually one or two of the kits get kitnapped, though."

"You and your tales of woe," Maplekit scoffed.

"You're the one who told me about Yarrowstar." Rainflight padded out of the Nursery, an exhausted look on his face. He looked around at the gathered Clan.

"Two she-kits and a tom!" he yowled. The Clan cheered in response.

"I told you!" Covekit meowed happily. Maplekit rolled her eyes. Dappleskip left the Nursery and padded towards the kits.

"Would you three like to meet your new den mates?" they all nodded eagerly and cheered in response. "You have to be a bit quiet, Ravenwatcher is exhausted." The calico led the way into the Nursery, her kits flooding in after her.

Covekit looked at the three, tiny little fur balls at Ravenwatcher's stomach. One was light gray, another was light brown, and the last was a tortoiseshell. "Aw," Acornkit meowed. "They're adorable!"

"What're their names?" Maplekit asked. Ravenwatcher gave the three older kits a tired smile.

"I've only decided on one," she meowed. She pointed with her tail to the light gray she-kit. "Brookkit. Do you three want to help me with the rest?"

"Really?" Covekit asked, her eyes widening. Ravenwatcher nodded. The three kits looked at each other before they took a few, small steps closer to the kits. Covekit was drawn to the light brown tom. His pelt reminded her of ViewClan territory, of the strands of wheat and…

"Heatherkit," she meowed.

Ravenwatcher nodded. "Heatherkit for the tom."

"Chilledkit," Acornkit meowed, looking down at the tortoiseshell.

"Snowkit," Maplekit argued.

"Chilledkit."

"Snowkit."

"Chilledkit."

"Snowkit."

" _Chilledkit!"_

" _Snowkit!"_  The two calicos stiffened as the tortie kit let out a mewl, adjusting herself in her sleep.

"How about Coldkit?" Ravenwatcher suggested. The two hesitated for a heartbeat, before nodding in agreement. The new mother purred as she looked down at her, now named, kits.

"Well, Brookkit, Heatherkit, Coldkit, meet Maplekit, Acornkit, and Covekit."

* * *

Covekit finished up her minnow, stretching her paws out in front of her. Maplekit was still eating next to her, and Acornkit was off… doing something else. The two she-kits always assumed swimming. Covekit turned head to see Brookkit leading the way out of the Nursery, Heatherkit and Coldkit in tow. Ravenwatcher followed after the kits, her tail waving in the air behind her.

Heatherkit looked over at Covekit and Maplekit, tilting his head. "What's he so curious about?" Maplekit asked, finishing up her own minnow. Covekit shrugged.

The three younger kits rushed over to the older two kits. "Hi, Covekit! Hi, Maplekit!" Coldkit meowed happily, her copper eyes shining.

"Where's Acornkit?" Brookkit asked. Covekit shrugged.

"Probably swimming."

Heatherkit's head was still tilted. "I don't get it," he meowed.

"Get what?" Ravenwatcher asked, appearing behind her kits.

"Covekit doesn't look like Dappleskip, Maplekit, and Acornkit, but there's no blue-gray and cream toms in the Clan," Heatherkit explained. Covekit felt herself stiffen as Maplekit's calico fur fluffed up.

"He's right," Brookkit mewed. "There aren't even any blue-gray warriors."

"Are you okay, Maplekit?" Coldkit asked, tilting her head.

"Covekit doesn't look so good, either," Heatherkit meowed.

Ravenwatcher cleared her throat. "Well, kits, I think that its time we talked about something," she meowed.

"Talked about what?" Coldkit asked.

The queen sat down. "Well, to answer your question, Heatherkit, Covekit doesn't look like her  _foster_  family because she wasn't born in FogClan. She was born in ViewClan."

"Then if she's not FogClan, why is she here?" Brookkit asked.

"Of course she's FogClan!" Maplekit hissed, her tail lashing. Ravenwatcher shot the kit a glare, but the calico didn't seem to notice.

"One night, Covekit and her littermates from ViewClan sneaked out of camp. Covekit decided to check out the river, but she fell in and almost drowned before a FogClan patrol found her and took her back to camp. She's not the only one, either. Thornthroat," Ravenwatcher twitched an ear towards a white tom with a gray muzzle and throat, along with amber eyes, "was from DustClan before he wandered onto FogClan territory as a kit, and we took him home."

"So this is normal?" Heatherkit asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. FogClan, on the other paw, isn't as bad as other Clans. We only take kits if they come onto our territory. ViewClan will take a kit if they see them wandering close to their territory, and DustClan isn't afraid to attack Clans to steal kits." Covekit suppressed a shiver.

"Good thing I wasn't taken by DustClan," she whispered to Maplekit. She nodded, her fur still fluffed up.

"But wouldn't they betray us?" Brookkit whispered loudly.

"We can  _hear you_ ," Maplekit growled.

"FogClan saved my life," Covekit told the kits. "I don't want to betray your Clan."

" _Our_ Clan," her foster sister corrected. She nodded.

"Our Clan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the Kithood Chronicles for this story. I've been working on this one for a while, so I've already started on Covekit's apprenticeship. Hopefully, it'll be out sometime soon!


End file.
